1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to games of mental skill, and more specifically to a board game for two players, involving the alternating movement of position markers on a predetermined array of playing positions. The object is to be the first player to arrange his or her playing pieces to form a vertical, lateral, or diagonal line across the game board.
2. Description of the Related Art
Games involving mental skill, and particularly board games, have been known for centuries. Such games have developed and evolved as a pastime for players, and provide a generally enjoyable mental challenge for participants. While a vast number of such games have been developed over the years, generally speaking, those games with relatively simple rules, yet having relatively complex strategies of play between two or more players, have been found to have the greatest durability and longevity and to provide the greatest enjoyment for players over the years. Chess, checkers, and the oriental game of go are examples of such games.
Another such game employing relatively simple rules, and somewhat more closely related to the present game, is the game of tic-tac-toe, which has been played informally for decades. In tic-tac-toe, a three by three grid of nine playing positions is marked out (generally with the outer borders of the positions omitted, but understood), with two players alternating turns by marking an "X" or an "O" within the initially empty playing positions. The object is to be the first player to achieve an alignment of three "X" or "O" marks (depending upon the player) either vertically, laterally, or diagonally across the grid. The game is relatively simple and is quite restricted, as once a player places his or her mark in an empty position on the grid, that mark cannot be moved or deleted. Thus, strategy is relatively simple, with the first player to place a mark having a distinct advantage over the second player.
The present game uses a similar grid matrix of playing positions and requires a player to align his/her position markers vertically, laterally, or diagonally across the board, but requires that each player begin the game with a number of movable markers along their respective first or starting lateral row or file of the board. The two players then alternatingly move one marker in each turn, attempting to align a complete row of markers vertically, laterally, or diagonally across the board. The markers of the present game may be moved any number of times, one position in each turn to any adjacent vacant position on the board, as in the move pattern permitted for a king in chess. Thus, the present game requires considerably more strategy than the game of tic-tac-toe.
A discussion of further related art of which the present inventor is aware, comprising related issued U.S. Patents and their differences and distinctions from the present board game invention, is provided immediately below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,681 issued on Mar. 21, 1989 to Thomas R. Volpert, Jr. describes a Method Of Playing An Alignment Game, having a board with a four by four matrix of sixteen positions and with each player having four position markers. A different marker is used to mark the starting position for a given game. Players place their markers on the board in turn, with each first play being on a non-diagonal position adjacent to the starting marker. The object is as in tic-tac-toe, i.e., to align three of a player's markers in a row, column, or diagonal. However, Volpert, Jr. makes no provision for moving the markers after their initial placement on the board, as provided by the present game. Thus, the Volpert, Jr. game is limited to a total of four moves by each player, whereas the moves of the present game are unlimited in principle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,149 issued on Sep. 28, 1993 to Edward Tarrats describes a Method Of Playing Tic-Tac-Toe With Cards, in which the position markers comprise cards drawn randomly from a deck. A player drawing an opponent's card may place that card atop an opponent's card which has already been played. Tarrats describes other cards which when played atop an already used position, allow that position on the board to be used again. However, no moving of cards is permitted once they have been played, as permitted in the present game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,419 issued on Jan. 11, 1994 to Paul Craig describes a Method Of Playing A Three Dimensional Game, comprising a three by three by three matrix of playing positions in mutually orthogonal X-Y-Z axes to form a three dimensional playing volume. Each player has a plurality of playing position markers, including a "star" marker for each player, which may only be played on one of a relatively few positions of the matrix. The object is to align three rows of markers in any three rows, columns, or diagonals of the matrix, with one of the alignments including a star marker and position. Thus, the game resembles a combination of the three dimensional tic-tac-toe game of Qubic (tm), and the tic-tac-toe like game of Volpert, Jr., described further above. Craig does not provide for any movement of a position marker after its initial placement in the matrix, as provided by the present game. Thus, the number of plays permitted in the Craig game are limited to the number of position markers provided to each player.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,307 issued on Jun. 7, 1994 to Marcel Bouchard et al. describes a Super Tic-Tac-Toe Tossing Game, including a three by three matrix of nine playing positions. Each player has lighter and heavier position markers, with the lighter markers first being tossed into the matrix. The heavier markers are then tossed, with players attempting to dislodge the opponent's lighter markers. The object is as in tic-tac-toe, but the markers cannot be moved after placement (except once, by being dislodged by an opponent's heavier marker), whereas the present game allows any of the markers to be moved any number of times and to any position.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,448 issued on Jul. 18, 1995 to Stewart C. Raphael et al. describes a Three Dimensional Tic-Tac-Toe Game somewhat similar to the game of the Craig '419 U.S. Patent and the well known game of Qubic (tm) noted further above. However, the Raphael et al. game comprises a three by three by three matrix, as in the Craig game, rather than the four by four by four matrix of the Qubic game. The Raphael et al. game is played in the same manner as Qubic and tic-tac-toe, with the object being to align three markers along any horizontal or vertical row, column, or diagonal. The Raphael et al. game uses a frame or lattice adapted to hold a plurality of blocks therein, by means of Velcro (tm) or the like, rather than comprising a series of flat trays upon which markers may be placed. While the structure is different from conventional tic-tac-toe, the rules of play are the same, and differ from the rules of the present invention in that Raphael et al. do not permit any movement of a marker once it has been placed in the matrix.
None of the above inventions and patents, either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.